A cosmetic applicator is described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,208,144 (now U.S. Pat. No. Re. 31,021). In such applicator a substance such as lipstick is placed on a carrier which in turn fits into an inner tubular member. An outer tube surrounds the inner tube which extends past the outer tube. The carrier is provided with a pair of lugs that serve as cam-followers and are in cam-tracking engagement with vertical cam slots in the inner tube and helical grooves on the inner wall of the outer tube. The vertical cam slot terminates at its ends in lateral off-sets that serve as axial locks to keep the carrier substance either in an exposed or retracted position.
The carrier and thus the lipstick is moved by causing relative swivel motion between the outer and inner tubes. The off-sets have slightly narrowed entrances so that the locking of the carrier requires some additional swivel torque. The size of such entrance relative to the cross-section of the carrier lugs tends to vary due to production tolerance requirements so that the locking and unlocking swivel torques do not remain sufficiently and reliably the same with different applicators.
The propulsion of the carrier occurs because of the forces from the helical grooves applied to the carrier lugs. The swivel torque required to move the carrier may, because of production tolerances, not have a sufficiently constant feel, being too high for some applicators or too low for others leading to a looseness feel that does not impart a desired sense of quality.
In U.S. Pat. No. 3,547,551 an axially-oriented rib is placed between inner and outer sleeves of a lipstick-holder to impart a frictional brake to oppose relative rotary motions between the sleeves.